This new book edited by Dr. David Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson, TN, should be a very interesting for all of us associated with the SBC in one way or another (and everyone else wondering where this large group of churches is headed). Dr. Dockery is an articulate spokesman on Christian higher education and one who has a great influence on my own pursuit of academic excellence (for myself and my students). He is also a great theologian, historian, and cultural observer, particularly on issues within the Southern Baptist Convention. So I highly recommend this book. (It is available for pre-order, and due for release on June 30, 2009.)
The publisher’s description:
Major SBC spokesmen address key issues of theology, polity, and practice to help readers respond to the most significant challenges within evangelicalism.
What was once a small, southern, predominantly white denomination has become America’s largest evangelical denomination. Yet with the Southern Baptist Convention’s growth have come the challenges of increasing fragmentation, theological controversy, and sweeping cultural change. These challenges have caused leaders and members to ask: What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist in the twenty-first century? How can a fresh consensus be established from within? What are the core biblical convictions that must be upheld, the key practices that must be sustained, to reach the lost in this age of cultural accommodation?
These essays by editor David Dockery, Al Mohler, Timothy George, Russell Moore, Paige Patterson, and eleven other SBC leaders address these important issues and themes from several perspectives. Their observations will illuminate the way not only for fellow Southern Baptists but for all evangelicals facing similar challenges in the twenty-first century and beyond.